Bullock cart style of business could be best hope for Tesco

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The Future Group has goods delivered to its stores by bullockAmit Dave / Reuters

Robin PagnamentaMumbai

Last updated at 12:01AM, June 17 2011

India’s biggest retailer has warned Tesco that the country could be a graveyard for its international ambitions because of poor infrastructure and shortage of city centre retail space.

In an exclusive interview with The Times, Kishore Biyani, the tycoon behind Future Group, said Tesco would find it “very, very difficult” to make its out-of-town superstore model work.

He said: “They won’t be able to find spaces. You can’t go off out of town in India because the roads are not good enough ... that will not work. You have to be within an accessible area and the land is not available.